Open (your wallet) Wide

Recently I was out celebrating Jordanna's birthday with some of our closest friends. We decided to go to a little place in the Back Bay that we found a while back. We like it there because of it's cozy atmosphere and pleasant staff, and although this was not our first choice, it was very difficult to get a reservation around Harvard Square due to the Head of the Charles so we went with it.


The food was very good and we were treated well. I ordered pan seared scallops with angel hair pasta in a white garlic sauce and Jordanna got their "Penne Con Zucca", which is Butternut squash, chicken breast, Gorgonzola cheese and penne pasta in an apple-cider sauce. At the end of dinner our waiter brought J Tiramisu with a candle in it and sang her Happy Birthday.

Here is my complaint; for being a "wine destination" I wasn't overly impressed with the wine list, selection or pricing. I guess my point is - buyer beware when you are buying wine by the bottle at restaurants.


The descriptions that were given on the menu lacked any real helpful information in order to preface what to expect from each wine, which makes it very difficult for most people to order wine. Even though I had previously had a couple of the wines that were on their list, it was still difficult to pair with most menu items. In their defense, they did offer several different wine flights which you could sample three different wines classified by red and white. The flight came with a laminated "cheat sheet" that gave descriptions of scents and tastes you should be able to find in each wine, which was convenient.














I chose their 2007 Rosenblum 'Cuvee XXX' Zinfandel from California. I had ordered this particular wine about two weeks prior, so I knew that it was good and that everyone would enjoy it, but I was surprised by the $30 price tag. I thought that this was a little expensive for this particular wine and it wasn't until I got home that I discovered that they had more than tripled the retail price.


Now, I know that all companies need to make a bit of a profit, but charging $30 for a bottle of wine that would cost us less than $10 at a grocery store or wine retailer is just uncalled for. Especially in a down economy. I mean, you don't see this when you order a pint of Sam Adams, and this same location only charged $4.75 for one of those. So why is it that it is "OK" to simply make up your own prices for wine? Also, if you are planning on charging such prices, at least make the process a little bit easier for the consumer so that we can make an educated decision and not regret our choice later. The Zinfandel was good and I would definitely drink it again but, as I said earlier, the description provided to us was minimal at best: "Flavors of black cherries, mint and vanilla with a sturdy finish."


Does this frustrate you as well? What other situations have you encountered? What are your thoughts on how we can make it easier for people to enjoy a great glass of wine while not feeling uneducated or lost? My friend Nate gave me a great idea, he said that I should taste wines that are commonly found at popular restaurants and stores and then write about them, expand on what little information they provide us and even compare my thoughts with others as well so that when we go into Olive Garden we know what "Cabernet, Robert Mondavi Private Selection", for an equally expensive $28, will get us .